


a little strawberry hope

by Chumly



Category: Original Work
Genre: Gen, a bit surreal at first but don't worry it gets even weirder by the end, a tale of friendship, also a prequel to this would be super, it could maybe clear up the story a smidgen, my brian is on a vacation so don't expect much
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-26
Updated: 2020-08-26
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:00:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,257
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26129182
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chumly/pseuds/Chumly
Summary: Princess Dodo has everything she could possibly need - an isolated kingdom, creepy servants, and a father that is perfectly strange. But what if things are not as they seem and there is something very wrong about her whole life?Should she follow the mad witch and find out what's hiding just beyond the thick veil of reality?
Comments: 2
Kudos: 1





	a little strawberry hope

**Author's Note:**

> a gift for my favourite person in this universe, happy day of birth, please don't consume any strawberries

“Cockledoodledoo, cockledoodledoo!,” sounds the usual alarm that always fails to make her want to leave her temporary coma.

The fact that it’s hardly audible doesn’t help the waking process, but at least she hasn’t committed manslaughter, yet. It should also be pointed out that there are no roosters in the kingdom, not since her father has acquired a very specific taste for meat. 

“Princesssss Dodo, you’ll have a visitorrr downssstairsss.” The mangly old creature that lost its gender somewhere between her last strands of sanity and its self-respect is whispering into her unexpecting ear.

That would only mean that it has moved dangerously close to her.

“Why are you talking like the snake that chose to spend its existential crisis pretending to be a pirate?” She glares at it with the intent to cause severe psychological issues.

It’s a dangerous job working in the unsoundly built castle. And not because it might crumble on everyone’s head any minute.

“I’m pretty sure I requested animal noises only.” She yawns and notices the smell of rum reminding her of yesterday’s dinner. She’d have a nice little talk with the cook if it could be done without talking or coming to any sort of proximity to him.

Then she remembers that Mangy Hans, the servant in charge of waking duty, was saying something about a visitorrr. If there ever was a reason to stay in bed that had to be it.

She waves the crotchety man away and buries her head into the pillow which only sports two holes. In her mind, those are eyes that are watching over her when she sleeps and possibly the source of her nightmares.

The Dashkarian Kingdom is located far away from any neighboring countries, being surrounded by seven mountains and seven lakes. There are no official roads leading in, just in case someone has the brilliant idea to actually… go there. They are doing well without the need of something or someone that doesn’t belong. Her and the King, maybe some peasants here and there, plus their indentured servants that won’t leave even if they wanted to.

One would think such a life must be dreadfully boring, nothing but freedom and cheap luxury. But Princess Dodo couldn’t be happier. Not because she has everything she so desires, no, she just doesn’t have the mental capacity to feel more profoundly than that.

A stray ray of sunlight that managed to sneak in through the thick curtains scratches the back of her head and then there are muffled giggles coming from the occupied pillow. She sincerely hopes they’re hers, just to invest in future dreams and their heart-stopping potential. Then the tender sensation turns into an impolite one as something tugs at her dark hair, making her head snap backward.

“I’d fire you if that wouldn’t be so blatantly redundant!” she yells at the Sun that is obviously adamant on making her get out of her sinfully cosy bed.

There is no point in struggling, she learns that every year at least thrice.

So she makes herself look like someone who didn’t go on a joyride in the wringer, reluctance seeping from her as she puts her least favourite dress on. Someone should come and mop it, lest it soaks through the floor, and infects more than just her.

To no one’s surprise, only the King and several uninteresting servants lacking backstories are currently downstairs and no mysterious visitors whatsoever. She considers feeling disappointment but stops herself in time before the inevitable exhaustion kicks in. It will come sooner or later anyway, unlike the made-up visitor that committed the most heinous of crimes despite not even existing. They made her majesty abandon the only place where she doesn’t have to use her brain and that would require an elaborately crafted punishment.

“What was it about someone coming over?” She sits three chairs away from her father to spare herself from being assaulted by the morning symphony coming out of his mouth. 

The dining room is made almost entirely from wood, as is the whole castle. Nobody has a clue about who designed it but she’d like to meet them and kick them in their face all the same. They’re lucky there is no need for actual flames anymore, not since the discovery of self-heating stones in 2127. They’d be a perfect replacement for fire if it wasn’t for their putrid smell. She’d say it’s close to a moldy lemon soaked in urine and that’s not something to live with on a daily basis. That’s why they’re all taking that wretched medicine that tastes like death. But as long as it neutralizes the malodour it’s worth the short-lived suffering, she thinks.

“Soon, my dear, soon they’ll arrive. And call me pappy next time.” There is some red sauce dripping down his robust chin, which makes him look like a feral vampire, given his pallid skin and darker-than-night hair.

Dodo gives him a look of thousand knives and shakes her head in valid exasperation.

With a sigh, she asks: “And you know this because…?”

“The soup told me.”

“The what?”

“Yesterday we had mosquito soup for dinner, right? And you know what they say about it.”

“…that it removes brain cells?”

“It has unspecified magical properties.”

“…and?”

“Last night I dreamt about a swarm of mosquitoes singing about some important visitor. Or at least I hope it was a dream.”

The King shudders in horrific realization and slowly gets up to do whatever kings do.

“A swarm of mosquitoes, huh?” She mumbles when there is no one to listen. “Maybe there’s something about it.”

But still, the prospect of some stranger interrupting her glorious days of doing nothing makes something rise in her stomach. Something vile and constricting. (Maybe it wasn’t a good idea to eat that anaconda pie so late in the afternoon).

Her thoughts get invaded by someone screeching at the door, presumably.

“Open Quinoa! No, that doesn’t seem right. Um… Open… Seeds?” Dodo positions herself in front of the main entrance, ready to witness the disaster trying to get in. She feels her head grow a size larger already, what a wonderful day this is going to be.

She can’t bear the anticipation anymore and screams as loud as her thin voice allows: “Open Sesame Seeds!” to which the door swings open, revealing one astonished witch ready with a vacuum cleaner and something like a black cat but not quite. The fiend grins at her and steps inside like she’s been invited.

“So that’s what it was. I knew it had to do something with edibles.” The witch extends her gloved hand in greeting and there is no option but to take it.

“My name is Chinadra Senie Chiwelli Walrusina the Ninth, but you can call me Chichi for short. I’m a witch apprentice slash space traveler.” Chichi’s face turns into one of those smiling emojis Dodo hates to use and right then she realizes that boredom is no further on the schedule.

“Just Dodo. Princess.” She responds dully while her hand gets squeezed with unnecessary strength.

Though the touch she notices that something’s not quite right about the witch in terms of appearance, other than her over the top hat with two spikes and the dress that makes her look like one of the flowers in her garden. Something about her fingers. There are not enough of them.

“What’s wrong wi-“

“Oh that? I guess my mother couldn’t draw properly.” Chichi chuckles as if that was somewhere near funny.

The not-cat jumps from her shoulder and runs inside the castle, also uninvited. She throws a questioning look Chichi’s way, ready to have the whole explanation served fresh.

“Kitten is my puppy. She’s my familiar and I can’t go anywhere without her. I tried just the once which left me incapacitated for weeks.”

Except she gets fed more convoluted nonsense. To be honest, she doesn’t know anything about witches and their pets and she has no wish to learn. What she should be told is the reason for this ruckus. And why is Chichi always smiling? Disgusting.

“I sense you’re curious about why you were blessed by my visit?”

 _Couldn’t have expressed it better myself,_ Dodo quips internally.

“Word around the ‘hood is you have nothing to do and I need someone to do something, so here I am.”

“What kind of ‘something’?” She tries to wade off the apprehension closing in, which never works, so.

“A quest! Specifically, there is this planet that is being oppressed by some evil c*nt and that’s a big no-no from me, what do you say?”

That would be a humongous NO from Dodo. What does the lunatic think she is, some kind of space warrior? She hasn’t left the country since she was five and that was like twenty years ago. Not speaking about socializing, including the antagonistic sort. Perhaps this is a nightmare and she’ll wake up drenched in sweat and oh, that would be equally awful. 

“Nope, not a nightmare, fortunately,” Chichi says casually, like Dodo’s thoughts were on display, free to be read. This new development makes her blood turn from blue to red, just for a second and still it makes her seem like an uncouth commoner.

Before she can present her justified question, there is an answer already ready.

“High-telepathic field. Can’t really control it. Sorry, not sorry.”

Dodo takes a deep breath to argue, also in vain.

“But, that way I know what you most desire. And I can give it to you!” The witchling laughs maniacally, but in an amicable way.

“You would commit genocide just for me?” Nothing better than having some peace and quiet for once.

“No, no that one. The one about the forbidden fruit and how you can eat it.”

The so-called “forbidden fruit” are just plain, ordinary strawberries. A tasty treat for most, but for Dodo they’re deadly. And death is a pricey thing lately, she still has so much saving to do before she can even think about affording it.

“You… you can really do that? Cure me of my strawberry sickness?” Hope is starting to pour into her soul in small, regulated doses - just in case.

“Not per se, but there is this plant that can do just that, and guess where it grows.” Another futile inhale.

“On the planet we’re going to! Ahahaha, plant on a planet, what a hoot.” Aaand there is the exhaustion, just beyond her closed eyes, about to viciously attack its summoner.

“Okay, say I agree to this balderdash, …how on Erth would we get there?”

“Behold!” Chichi opens her vacuum with a ceremony, perhaps expecting awing and ohing. Dodo can’t see anything that would explain their potential means of transport, so she just blankly gapes at her.

“I’m beholding.” There is something akin to annoyance embedded in that sentence.

“Look closer! Come on, I won’t push you inside!”

“There is a spaceship inside your vacuum cleaner?”

“It’s not a vacuum cleaner but a dark matter cleaner! It sucks out what’s in front of it and propels itself forward by using the energy from the stuff it absorbed. Don’t worry, it then returns it back cleaner than ever. So it’s win-win on all sides, isn’t that awesome-possum?”

“And how do you reckon we get inside, it doesn’t look like it can house a mouse, not talking about a fully-grown person and whatever you are.”

Chichi shows the most innocent of smiles and then whispers something unintelligible, which makes her familiar appear in front of her, and then everything just stops.

For a while, she’s convinced it’s all over for her, the world and time, and everything that goes with it.

When she finally regains her consciousness, she finds herself somewhere vaguely familiar. It almost looks like the stupid vacuum ship.

“It’s not stupid.” Dodo flinches, at first forgetting what she got herself into.

“Can I ask you a question?” she still feels groggy and unfocused, so any sudden shock would make her regret her life choices, not that she doesn’t already.

“Shoot. But like, not literally.”

“Are we inside your vacuum cleaner thingy right now?”

“Yep.” The obnoxious pop at the end of the confirmation almost makes her faint. Anything would be preferable to dealing with this reality of no law or reason. 

Okay, so there has to be some logical explanation for this. Or magical.

“Are we perchance really, reaaally small right now?” There’s a hint of incredulity hidden in Dodo’s eyes.

“Even smaller.” The enthusiasm that seeps from the witch of madness is like poison to her bloodstream.

“Meet Don Seladon, by the way. He’s our pilot.” It has been there the whole time, she’s somehow sure of that, yet this is the first time her brain registers it… him?

“It’s a white rabbit,” Dodo deadpans.

“Is he? I haven’t noticed.” Chichi exclaims as she scratches his fluffy ears.

Despite being an animal, Don Seladon has a remarkably human-like face. It’s uncanny how it doesn’t go together with the rest of his body. Just as she starts coping with this new ridiculous being, the pilot picks up a bottle full of some blue liquid and takes a swig with an after-reaction suggesting that it isn’t some space water.

“What is that?” By this point, there is no point in trying to avoid conversation.

Don Seladon shows her the see-through bottle that has a big black question mark on its otherwise blank label. Yeah, that clears things up perfectly. Why did she agree to this insane trip again?

“He’s a bit kooky.” Chichi lets out in a weak voice, ignoring the growling noises coming from the pilot’s direction.

Dodo is afraid to think anything because apparently she has lost her right to privacy somewhere along the way. Or was it even before this whole adventure had started? It’s hard to think about what came first. 

An adventure, huh. She hasn’t encountered that word outside of fantasy stories. Something inside her twinkles and she smiles to herself, partly in desperation, but the rest is an unbridled excitement that has been the great unknown to her till now.

If she just doesn’t imagine all the things that could possibly go wrong, this could be survivable. As long as she’s guaranteed to come home.

“Sorry, I can’t guarantee that.”

Oh right, telepathy is a thing today.

“What do you mean, are we not returning after this whole mental mission is completed?”

“Well, that’s the plan, but to be frank, anything could go wrong. At any time. Anywhere. So don’t worry about it.”

How can Chichi stay this cheerful when she’s aware of all the potential danger?

“Oh, it’s simple. To me, there is only now. This moment - nothing before, nothing after. And I don’t see us dying, do you? Everything is fine, more than. And I have a new friend to boot. Really don’t know why I should do anything but smile.”

And Dodo can’t help but laugh out loud. She has everything to lose and yet she doesn’t remember feeling more alive.

“So, where exactly are we… being sucked away to?”

“Planet Anygerm in the Yuroppi system. We’re gonna take down that Glitter bastard no matter the cost.”

Dodo’s spirits sink. Planet Anygerm. She’s read about it once, in a textbook. Being castle-schooled meant she wasn’t allowed to hate her compulsory education. She had to invent imaginary classmates to bully her. But she crafted even more gal-pals, meaning they could wage a war against the cruel bullies. Her school days were spent mostly fighting, granted it was all in her head, but still, it translated into her maturing process. That’s why she doesn’t remember much from that time, even if this one thing has stuck with her for some reason.

Dictatorship and slavery, endless fighting, citizens being burnt alive, it all due to one monster’s unhinged viciousness. Or hunger for money, fame, destruction, anything goes in those kinds of cases.

But this one stands out because the maltreatment has gone on for centuries. She wonders if there’s still anyone alive on that planet.

“We’re about to find out. Prepare for non-emergency landing!” Chichi hollers and straps herself with a white rope. She mimes for Dodo to do the same.

“These are my old shoelaces, had to improvise somehow.” She guffaws and Dodo suddenly wants to cry.

“Is it too late to change my mind?”

The sudden drop in g-force is her answer. The screams that were born in her stomach got trapped somewhere along their way up. They just keep falling through space at first, then the monitor indicates them entering a brand new atmosphere and she tries to make herself lose consciousness, but no matter what she tries her brain waves seem to be against her. The land is getting more and more detailed and she’s sure they're going to crash and fall apart into a million hopeless shrapnels.

She receives a playful wink as a response to that horrifying image, together with whiplash as the vacuum ship loses its velocity all at once, without any sensible warning.

“Made it! High five!” One gloved hand smacks against a white paw and the hatch opens, letting her breathe fresh air for the first time in forever it seems like.

“Hey, welcome to Anygerm.” Chichi squeezes Dodo’s trembling hand in reassurance and jumps down on the red ground below. She wills herself to follow, just because staying here with the rabbit-abomination would be somehow worse.

As her feet touch the unfamiliar surface, something inside her shifts and she thinks that for sure it’s gonna be puking time all over Chichi. Instead, her size expands approximately a hundredfold. Oh yes, the ludicrous witch shrunk her. It’s weird to forget such a monumental occurrence, but she doesn’t mind since she’s standing on an alien planet, one thing she could swear was impossible. Not because of any technical restrictions – there were space buses transporting millions of passengers almost anywhere in the universe, but because she couldn’t think of anything that would make her take such a huge risk. Her home was all she could ever need.

If only she knew how it would feel, taking a breath of something that might even not be oxygen. Even though it tastes a bit sulfury and there’s something more putrid than the heating stones all around them. Smelling like murder.

“So, what’s next?” Dodo waits for Chichi to calm her down while taking a proper look at the strange world around her.

There is something towering on the horizon, something sharp and long, almost like spikes they use to show off heads back home. But she can see so many of them that they might not be there at all.

The sky is bleak yellow and there is nothing that could be deemed vegetation in sight. Just walls. Or what remains of them. More like their equivalent of bricks haphazardly placed on top of each other.

“No idea.”

_Excuse me?_

“Now the fun begins! Come on, let’s go find a hophole that still works!”

“A hophole?”

“Teleporty thing. They use it to travel. A bit old-fashioned if you ask me.”

“Have you been here before?”

A little too late to realize she knows nothing about that witch, that she might as well be untrustworthy or goddess forbid, evil. But there’s something about that person that makes her feel safe. Like as long as they’re together, nothing can hurt her.

“I might have. A long time ago. With a friend.” It doesn’t correspond to all she learnt about Chichi, to watch her turn this… solemn.

“Nevermind that, let’s run!”

Dodo has a love-hate relationship with running, which is weird because she hasn’t really run before, not like this.

It feels so effortless, despite the pain in her legs and the probably-not-oxygen that barely has the chance to supply enough fuel to her lungs.

If the surrounding scenery wasn’t so damn depressing she could maybe even enjoy that.

“There it is!” Chichi nearly tumbles forward with the all-too-sudden halt.

A literal hole in the ground, large enough to encompass the both of them, but not at once. She looks down to see if it even has a bottom but she’s about to find out first hand, as the mean, despicable wench shoves her in. Dodo swears to crush her spine and feed it to the poor.

Instead of hitting the unforgiving planet core she jumps out back on the ground, but somewhere completely different. Luckily, she isn’t alone as Chichi joins her right after her reemergence.

“Don’t ever do that again!” No one can tell her that her fury is undeserved. “I am not one of your freaky pets!”

“Oh I would never do that to Kitten,” she says unbothered, right before said puppy jumps from the hole back onto her shoulder.

“I’m still mad.”

“Oh, aren’t we all.”

Somehow she can’t hate Chichi, in spite of the active effort she makes.

“Look, we’re almost there!”

The witch pointed to a derelict building about three hundred meters far. Which would be fine and all, except there is not a soul in sight. She read about ten-legged soldiers marching every few meters, prisoners being transported between states in order to be most efficiently utilized. Yet there isn't any sign of life.

As they move a bit closer, it becomes clearer to her.

There are corpses. An amount she can’t possibly begin counting. They look like overgrown fluffy ants to her, except gray with decay.

She stops to take that all in.

“What happened here?”

“It’s a long story,” Chichi responds among heavy breaths. There is a dark cloud above her head, she can just about see it.

“I’m willing to listen.” Dodo makes her words deliver the utmost sincerity she holds in her heart.

“Later, I promise. We have to find Glitter first.”

And so they sprint towards what might have been a palace once. Getting inside wasn’t a problem, since there were no actual doors to make their infiltration more difficult.

“What exactly are we looking for?” A silent whisper echoed among the endless rubble.

“You’ll know when we find it.”

After what seemed like an eternity and a half, they come upon something. A shimmer in the distance. It shines so brilliantly she gets blinded. There is nothing but white all where she looks, and it’s like she can’t do that at all, or anything else. Because it hurts. It splits her apart and she loses all structural integrity, becoming but a multitude of atoms, and yet, she knows she exists.

“She was my friend. She was my best friend in the world and you took her away.” It’s hard to recognize the meaning behind the tear-stricken words. “There was a girl with starlight in her heart, so mesmerized by what the universe had to offer she couldn’t see the danger. She thought there was beauty in everything and that’s why I had to be there to protect her. But I failed and it’s my fault she’s… she’s gone.” The sobs cut deep into the pieces of her that are left. “She just wanted to be able to taste strawberries, that’s all. And I couldn’t say no. I didn’t realize how stupid it was to take her into a warzone. Thought nothing could stop us.” A laugh dripping in ache. That’s not right, it shouldn’t be like this. Why can’t she remember anything? It has to be there somewhere, she’s certain. Just… unreachable.

How long ago was it? What happened after… after… she died?

“But you, you killed her. Just because she was human. It should have been me, but no, gotta be racist till the end, don’t ya? And now, when you took her form, I couldn’t even get rid of you. But no anymore.” Chichi sounds a bit more confident now, and that puts her at ease. Nothing should steal her spirit, not even… the absence of her… best friend?

_Who am I?_

“I brought her back, you know. A ghost of the past, living right here.” She taps at her head triumphantly. “Because stories can have a soul too. Maybe you think I’m deranged, but to me, she was alive even after you destroyed her, if only for a while. Because you can’t get rid of someone’s soul, not that easily. And yeah, she might be nothing but a story, but she stood there beside me, just a minute ago, whole and unbroken. I even got to meet her for the first time twice, isn’t that something. See, I’m selfish like that. Wanting to experience it all over again. But that was the only way for me to get here and do the thing I should have done all those years ago. She has become my power, the one I needed to finally end it”

The light exploded into a myriad of tiny sparkles, like fireworks in celebration of one’s victory. Except this felt more like the world was ending. She watched the glitter, the effervescent dance that decorated the old debris, made more beautiful by the ever-flowing tears.

They were all gone, the good and the bad. No one would ever be able to make it right. But at least she got to witness the brightest of lights and that by itself was worth all the hurt. 

And when it was all over, she took Dodo’s hand and they ran everywhere, anywhere.

“We have the rest of the universe to explore, even if you won’t be able to eat strawberries ever again.”

**Author's Note:**

> explanation spoiler? If someone didn't get it :D ?  
> (Dodo was dead this whole time, she was just an imagination in Chichi's head, that's why she had those violent thoughts - because Chichi was angry at herself and Glitter mainly, and that's why nothing made much sense because the witch is not of sane mind xD. Glitter is an alien that takes the form of the people it kills, and it needs to do so every so often to rejuvenate, and Dodo was the only human it crossed recently, so murder happened. - the planet really has a plant that can cure a strawberry allergy so they went despite the risk btw... and Chichi then took revenge on the whole planet and magically summoned a gas that killed everything living, thinking she would take down glitter, but unfortunately the two of them survived. She left the planet in utter defeat. Some time passed and then this story took place. ) SIMPLE right? :D
> 
> sorry I can't write happy-go-lucky stories, I honestly tried xD  
> hope you liked it anyway, spent the most of wednesday on it


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